Moretti will be hoping to collaborate with the government, local groups and schools to develop sustainable agricultural practices. She also wants to increase conservation. ''Now she's way out in a western province in a remote town. she's finally in her assigned village,'' said her father, Peter Moretti, when I talked with him this week.

Just Plain Neighbors: Montague woman checks in with Peace Corps experience in Africa

By IRMARIE JONES

Published: Tuesday, September 04, 2007

A few weeks ago, I wrote about Adrienne Moretti, 26, of Montague who is serving in the Peace Corps in Zambia. Where? If you look at a map of Africa, it's three countries above South Africa, near Malawi on the east coast.

The PC publicity had given me her e-mail address, so I wrote to her one Thursday. When I came in on Monday, I had her reply and I guess I'll be on her regular correspondence list.

Moretti will be hoping to collaborate with the government, local groups and schools to develop sustainable agricultural practices. She also wants to increase conservation.

''Now she's way out in a western province in a remote town. she's finally in her assigned village,'' said her father, Peter Moretti, when I talked with him this week.

I asked if he and his wife, Bonnie, were proud of her.

''We were nervous at first. Of course, we're proud of her. She's an adventurer, doing things I would never have done,'' he said. ''She's having a great time. We talked to her once on the phone and there are the e-mails.'' Here's her e-mail to me: ''So the day that you have all been waiting for, and by that I mean I have been waiting for, I am an official Peace Corps Volunteer, as of last Friday, that is. I passed my language and technical tests and swore in with 44 other people, with the U.S. ambassador to Zambia giving us our oath. It was really nice and extremely exciting.

(Apparently it's still the same as when our son Robert went to Honduras in the Peace Corps in 1978. He was sent to live with a family in the capital who spoke nothing but Spanish. Three months later, if he spoke that language fairly well, he was then sworn in. That makes your two-year enlistment three months longer.) ''After that the next day, I and others traveled to the NorthWest Province. We have spent the last two days buying everything we might need for our house, from beds to pots and pans to rat traps. It has been interesting going to the market trying my hand at speaking Kaonde and bargaining for things.

''The next exciting step starts tomorrow. I am getting posted tomorrow to my village and I am excited and a little nervous, but, I have felt the same way at every other big step in the process and everything has turned out great and has been amazing.

''OK, so I got a couple e-mails asking about the food and I think that in the last e-mail I said that I got to try all four different types of Nshima. Well, Nshima is either made out of corn, called mealie meal, sorghum, millet or cassava. Basically, it is Playdough consistency, the way you eat it is you take a little ball, roll it in your hand, just one, put it on your fingers, push your thumb in and make a dent in it. Then use it to scoop up what they call relish or manyi.

''The relish can be lots of different things such as cabbage, fish, spinach, which is called rape, soya pieces, beans and many others. I actually really like it. I like the sorghum Nshima the best and cassava the least, but, basically, it is really a fun way to eat. It takes a little practice and is not the most graceful way to eat, but once you get good at it, it is pretty normal. Well, I think that is about it for now. Hope everything is going well and I will talk again soon.''

Her father said it takes at least three weeks for a normal letter to reach her. If I receive another e-mail, I'll share it with readers.

Moretti graduated from the University of Vermont and worked as an environmental educator in southern California and in the forest service in the Black Hills of South Dakota. She has three younger brothers, Michael, Bryant and Patrick, but I don't know if they are interested in the Peace Corps.

I'm glad the Iraq War has not stopped the funding for the Peace Corps. Obviously since 45 people were sworn in in Zambia, the PC is still going strong.

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Story Source: The Recorder - Greenfield, Massachusetts

This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; COS - Zambia

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